We are pleased to announce the Call for Papers for the upcoming conference on “Museums and Communities. The Heritage of Belonging”. This conference focuses on the relation between museums, heritage and communities. In times of mobility and change, history museums play an important role in societal questions of social cohesion, identity and belonging. In search of their roots, people turn to heritage. History is popular as never before and it surfaces in all contemporary media. At the same time, the communication era offers new possibilities for communities based on common interests and preferences, or popular and corporate culture. Museums in general, as part of the public sphere, are an important tool in this dynamic process of heritage formation and the performance of community.

To address these topics, the Erasmus University Rotterdam organises an international three-day conference in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. We would welcome presentations on community building, performativity and the dynamics of cultural heritage, as well as presentations on new practices of engaging communities in museums and representing communities in exhibition display. We are honoured to announce two keynote speakers. Richard Sandell of Leicester University will discuss the relation between museums and human rights. Kevin Moore – director at National Football Museum in Manchester – will be talking about the museum and popular culture.

This conference concludes the Community Museums Past and Present project, which is part of the NWO programme Cultural Dynamics (http://www.nwo.nl/nwohome.nsf/pages/NWOA_6J8FRJ_Eng). The Community Museums Past and Present project is financed by the VSB foundation.

Subjects may include, but are not limited to:Theory
Community building
Museums and performativity
Museums and identity
Heritage ownership
Popular culture, fan communities and their heritage
Corporate heritage

Museums and Community is a three-day conference with two days of keynote sessions in the morning and thematic sessions in the afternoon. The conference will take place at the Netherlands Architecture Institute in the Museum Park in the centre of Rotterdam.

Great historical narratives in Europe’s national museums

Conference organised by Pr. Dominique Poulot, Université de Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne in collaboration with Eunamus – European National Museums: Identity Politics, the Uses of the Past and the European Citizen.

25 to 26th of November 2011, Paris.

To what extent can national museums be considered as authors of great historical narratives ? National museums have since their inception been key to establishing narratives of the political, military, territorial, social and economic construction of the nation. In disciplinary terms, the archaeological museum is central to forging national origins in a more or less far off past. The nation’s genius, may be read in the different narratives that art history constructs, whilst folk and rural culture, as considered by ethnology construct notions of authenticity of the people.

This conference aims to consider the major ideological programmes implemented by museums and how these are visualized and translated into museographical terms – from explicative texts to the disposition of objects, scenographic installations, multimedia presentations etc. Can one identify a « national tale » (roman national), as the idea of a stereotypical version of the nation’s past, in the ambiguous relationship between narrative and the complex and not necessarily coherent range of objects that can make up a museum’s collections. Looking at traditional as well as revised versions of national narratives, particular attention will be given to the representation of conflict, to shared and opposing tales – but also to silences and absence. Issues of provenance related to repatriation claims may also be considered.

Why are certain themes and types of collections preponderant at different moments throughout the nation’s history? The interdependence of narratives, in relation to past versions or to those established by other nations should also be stressed. In order to address these questions, approaches that take into account the social, political, religious and cultural issues that subtend the elaboration of national scenarios will be privileged.

CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENTDREAM (Danish Research Centre on Education and Advanced Media Materials) is very pleased to release the Call for Papers for its international conference The transformative museum to be held 23-25 May 2012 in Roskilde, Denmark.

Keynote speakers will include James E. Katz (director of Center for Mobile Communication Studies,Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, USA), dr. Lynda Kelly (head of Web and Audience Research at the Australian Museum, Sydney, Australia), professor Gunnar Liestøl (Dept. of Media & Communication, University of Oslo), professor Angela McFarlane (director of Public Engagement and Learning, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK), and associate professor Ross Parry (Programme Director, School of Museum Studies, University of Leicester).

CONFERENCE THEMEGlobalising trends in knowledge economies, digital participation and changing community needs catalyse transformations of museums, galleries and science centres. The conference will present a rich set of analyses of the current situation and raise important questions about the future for material and immaterial cultural and natural heritage. We invite research papers on the following topics: * transforming modes of communication * transforming visitor participation and learning * transforming institutional organization* transforming research methodologies ABSTRACTS AND PAPERS Submit your proposal now! The call for abstracts for research papers is now open. Check the submission guidelines on the conference websitehttp://ruconf.ruc.dk/index.php/dream/dream12/index and submit before 6 January 2012.

PRE-CONFERENCE: INTERNATIONAL PH.D. COURSE Students and young scholars are invited to a one-day ph.d. course 22 May 2012. Here, you get a venue to meet with some of the main conference speakers, make a project presentation and participate in discussions on the conference topics. Check the submission guidelines on the conference website http://ruconf.ruc.dk/index.php/dream/dream12/index and register before 30 March 2012.

The Palestinian Museum is a cultural project of the Welfare Association. The Museum will be an agent of empowerment, integration and solidarity planned to open in the Spring of 2014 on the Birzeit University campus in the West Bank, eventually with facilities across Palestine. The Museum will be a leading platform for non-partisan narratives about Palestinians, their relationships to their land, to each other, and to the world.

In order to achieve its mandate of excellence, the Welfare Association is recruiting the Museum’s professional leadership team, consisting of the following positions (to be based in Ramallah):

The Director is the chief operating officer of the Palestinian Museum accountable to the Palestinian Museum Taskforce for the realization of the approved vision, mission and values, and the implementation of Taskforce approved business and corporate plans.

Reporting to the Taskforce, the Director is responsible for conducting the affairs of the Museum, interpreting and applying board policies while co-ordination of all aspects of the Museum. The Director ensures that the Museum is managed according to the institution’s mission and objectives, Board
policies, and the accepted standards of the larger international museum community. The Director demonstrates excellent and proven leadership abilities and superior management skills.

General and Operational Duties and Responsibilities

* Responsible for Museum’s liaison with the Taskforce.
* Charged with the maintenance of high standards of professionalism and ensures that all programmes and public affairs are conducted in accordance with applicable legal requirements and the international ethical standards of a public museum.
* As Director recommends to the Taskforce, on the recommendation of the Heads of the Divisions, partnerships and links with key bodies in the public, private and voluntary sectors.
* Ensures that written management practices are in place to implement the policies and directives of the Board of Trustees and that responsibilities for their implementation and efficacy are assigned to the appropriate member(s) of the Senior Management team by the Taskforce.
* Directs the management by the Senior Management team of the day-to-day operations of the Museum, and sets direction for its operational aspects to ensure compliance with local laws, grant requirements, and generally accepted accounting principles.
* Must engage by active participation in fundraising and advocacy and actively solicits support and cultivates gifts and bequests.
* Presents for Board approval the annual and three-year rolling operating budgets and reviews quarterly with the Task Force, the Museum’s progress against the approved annual budget.
* Presents for Task Force approval the annual and five-year corporate plan and reviews quarterly with the Task Force the Museum’s progress against the approved corporate plan highlighting both operational achievements and challenges.

Supervisory Duties and Responsibilities

* Provides direct overview of the Heads of the Divisions who constitute the Senior Leadership team as to the performance of their duties, their efficacy, and their adherence to all appropriate policies, practices and directives.

Financial Duties and Responsibilities

* Oversees and leads the preparation and monitoring of the Museum’s annual operating budget, including establishing a budget planning team, analysing budget requests, analysing budget variances, and directing corrective action as necessary to the Task Force as appropriate.
* Evaluates and reports financial status and progress to the Task Force on a regular basis.

General Requirements and Qualifications

* A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in a museum or related educational/research organization.
* A Ph.D in a relevant discipline such as history, sociology, archaeology or art and/or an advanced degree in museum studies or an advanced degree in business with extensive experience in leadership in the not-for-profit sector, or the equivalent in additional work experience.
* A record of professional accomplishments and publications (academic or other); demonstrated success in fundraising, audience development and institutional planning.
* Excellent managerial, planning, organizational and administrative skills; exceptionally strong interpersonal and written/oral communication skills; high level of presentation, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills.
* Ability to provide strong leadership, vision and strategic direction; inspire and motivate staff, volunteers and donors; establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of representatives of public and private organizations, members of boards, foundations, universities, support groups, and the general public.
* Demonstrated ability to manage and work within a team and to delegate appropriate responsibilities and authorities while providing appropriate oversight.
* Ability to reside in the West Bank and travel extensively internationally.
* Ability to speak and write proficiently in Arabic and English, with preference for skills in other languages as well.

Nature of Employment and Compensation

* The Director is to be hired in accordance with a contract, 3 years in duration, renewable indefinitely for three years terms by mutual agreement with the Task Force.
* Salary is to be negotiated, based on relevant and related experience and education.
* Benefits are to be negotiated but will be competitive for comparable positions at organizations similar in activities and scope in the region.

Re-Visiting the Contact Zone: Museums, Theory, Practice

We invite young and established researchers in museum studies, anthropology, art history, sociology, architecture, design, archaeology, and all related fields including practitioners in museums, galleries, and archives to apply for the Re-Visiting the Contact Zone: Museums, Theory, Practice Conference.
This conference is organised by the European Science Foundation (ESF) in partnership with the Linköping University (LiU). The conference will take place on 17-21 July 2011 at Scandic Linköping Vast, Linköping, Sweden.

Museums form an important part of the cultural heritage of all European countries. As institutions museums have tended to remain focused on the nation state for historical, political and financial reasons, but many of the issues museums aim to respond to today transcend national boundaries. This international European Science Foundation funded conference seeks to provide a platform for exchange, reflecting on the new EU-wide interest in museums as spaces of cultural encounter that occupy a unique position at the junction between ‘the local’, ‘the national’ and ‘the global’.[More]

Attendance is possible only after successful application. Full conference programme and application form accessible from www.esf.org/conferences/11365

A certain number of grants are available for students and early stage researchers to cover the conference fee and possibly part of the travel costs.

Closing date for applications: 17 April 2011

Sponsor a Conference

This conference will be providing the opportunity for leading scientists and young researchers to meet for discussions on the most recent developments in their fields of research. We enable collaboration between international scientists from EU, first world and emerging countries which acts as a catalyst for creating new synergistic global contacts across disciplines.

We invite you to join us in harnessing this great potential, working towards an even more cohesive scientific force in Europe and beyond by contributing to our intense, dynamic and fun events.

We appreciate your work, and are very grateful for any and all participation, including suggestions of others who might be interested, leads on film footage, etc. Spreading the word to the larger Guinea community is also an enormous help.

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This blog was created by a network of critical researchers on heritagizations of different countries and languages. The blog aims to provide easy access to information and updated news about critical analyses of heritage objects and practices within disciplines as varied as history, political sciences, geography and anthropology.
Contact : res.patrimoni@gmail.com.

cultural.property.org
In June 2008, researchers at the Universities of Göttingen and Hamburg began an interdisciplinary project on cultural property supported by funds from the Deutsche Forschungsgesellschaft.

World Heritage Tourism Research Network
The World Heritage Tourism Research Network (WHTRN) is dedicated to fostering collaborative research that addresses the challenges and opportunities of tourism at World Heritage sites and their surrounding regions.